How often do you clean your hose?

Juliebove · Post by **Juliebove** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 11:48 pm

I was told to do it weekly and I think that's what my manual says. I bought a special brush for cleaning it but haven't used it and probably never will because it says it can damage the hose! I was running hot water and unscented dish soap down it weekly but then it looked perfectly clean.

My brother says he has never cleaned his and he has had the machine for many years. He says he doesn't have to since he doesn't use a humidifier. He has a very old machine with no card in it.

My dad does clean his hose but says he never cleans his mask. I was told to wash the mask daily with the same unscented dish soap. This is a royal pain! Instead I wash it weekly and use the citrus wipes daily.

i bought one of those fleece things to put over the hose and it took a while to put on. I don't want to have to take it off and put it back on every week to clean it. Do I really have to do this?

Bigburd2008 · Post by **Bigburd2008** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:42 am

I rinse my mask daily and let air dry. Give it a good wash on Saturday. Used to do the hose but have not done it for over 6 months now. The only items in the hose would be clean, filtered air and distilled water. I, personally do not worry about the hose or humidity chamber.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:33 am

I have never "cleaned" my hose and it will be 4 years next month since I started therapy (same hose, too).
For all intents and purposes, my hose stays attached to my machine and mask except for when I add more distilled water. I wash my mask and headgear every few months with Dawn dishwashing liquid and I've always used distilled water in my humidifier tank (and it's still like new). I'm still using my original mask and seal, but I finally decided this last weekend that my headgear needed to be replaced, so I did.

Edit: P.S. I wash/rinse out my foam (intake air) filters every other weekend.

But......whatever you're comfortable with should be fine.

Den

LinkC · Post by **LinkC** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:37 am

Clean? Hose??

I wouldn't know how to...

araminta · Post by **araminta** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:01 am

i don't clean my hose.
i check the filter every few weeks. but don't see a need to clean the hose -- maybe i'll do it at my 1-year anniversary on cpap.

JoyD. · Post by **JoyD.** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:06 am

.
At first, like a good girl I lived by the book. Well, it didn't take long . . . two months out and I've ceased washing my hose, wash my humidifier chamber once a month, but ALWAYS wash the nasal pillows with Ivory Liquid and warm water every morning and let them air dry. Well . . . they've been stuck in my nostrils all night and are greasy with Lanolin

I've definitely "settled down" about being an unnecessary fanatic about some things, like hose & humidifier

Marietjie · Post by **Marietjie** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:08 am

My cleaning routine is: Wash the nasal pillows every day with ElizabethAnn BabyShampoo, rinse and wipe with clean lint free cloth.
I hang the hose over a u-shaped hanger and close the holes (important - close all holes - insects can go inside)(or hang the hose vertically) Be careful not to bent it too sharply - will tear.
Once a week I wash everything - leave it for 30mins in warm baby shampoo water, rinse and again wipe with clean lint free cloth.
I DO NOT wash the hose anymore - my first hose only lasted 10months - washed it and hung it up on washing line. WRONG WRONG - don't bother to clean the hose - my agent told me never to wash it and the hose should last for 5 years.
Quick and easy. Almost forgot - I empty the humidifier every day and once a week I wash the chamber also with the baby shampoo and wipe with lint free cloth. I don't like the airdrying idea - if you wash your spectacles you would also wipe them with a clean cloth, not so? It is the same with the cpap equiptment - I think ! ? !
Greetings

El Pap · Post by **El Pap** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:03 pm

I never clean the hose on my main machine. I do wash the hose (and filters) from my travel setup when I return from trips, as they seem to pick up hotel odors.

The part of my setup that I clean daily (or close to it) are the nasal pillows themselves. I pop them off the headshell, wash them in Johnsons Baby Shampoo, and leave them to air out. I have several sets, since the smell of the shampoo bothers me, and it takes a day or two for the smell to completely dissipate. I try not to get lazy with this, as they get coated with skin oil and don't seal as well. The mask headshell I wash with the same shampoo at the same time I change out the fine filters on the machine, roughly four times per year.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:11 pm

Going on 2.5 years with same hose ... never washed, never needed.

DyannaK · Post by **DyannaK** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:11 pm

I religiously followed the DME's advice on cleaning equipment for the first couple months. Now I am not so spastic about washing the hose and haven't in a few months, I use only distilled water in my humidifier chamber and once a week I rinse it out and let it air dry. I clean my Headrest once a week as well. I do check the air filter often. Things are going just fine for me...

Mebake · Post by **Mebake** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:23 pm

1 every 2 weeks in Dr Bronners peppermint soap. Nasal pillows I have 1 for ever day of the week and wash them all on the weekend along with my humidifier.

PS if you do not like the sell of the soap you are using the Dr Bronners peppermint soap is amazing.

OwlCreekObserver · Post by **OwlCreekObserver** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:35 pm

Same as most others who have posted. I used to spend a lot of time washing mask, hose and humidifier. But after 3+ years I'm down to washing my mask with a cheap dish washing liquid about once a week or so and emptying out and washing the humidifier every now and then. I haven't washed a hose in at least a year, maybe more.

I'd probably wash the mask more often if I used lotions and such on my face, or if I was using something besides a full face mask.

Juliebove · Post by **Juliebove** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:46 pm

Thanks everyone!

Kiralynx · Post by **Kiralynx** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:26 pm

Wash? Hose? What's that?

I remove my nasal pice from my mask and run it under warm water for a few minutes, then shake it out and let it air dry.

I change the white filter about once a month, but wash the permanent filter every couple of weeks.

The humidifier gets washed when I travel because I have to remove it, empty it, and dry it out. Although I use only distilled water in it.

robertmarilyn · Post by **robertmarilyn** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:39 pm

DreamStalker wrote:Going on 2.5 years with same hose ... never washed, never needed.

I wash my nasal pillow every morning and wash my hose once a week but that may be because I'm still a newbie and haven't gotten old and jaded yet

BTW, rumor has it that if you go "2.5 years with same hose...never washed", you'll start growing sticky uppy hair.

Machine	Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: 11-14 cmH2O

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Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: Pressure of 14-20 ---- Sleep Angel Chin strap